In a distributed network like the Internet, different computers and computer networks may be virtually connected and accessible via various routes. When a computer or computer network is under attack, e.g., a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, responses to the attack must be made in order to maintain the network's accessibility to other networks and computers. A team of network administrators can manually login to a router to change routing rules in response to the attack to maintain proper network operation.
But such a solution has some undesirable properties. This method does not scale, lacks efficiency, and provides little context to business managers who may want to know the who, what, when, why, and how of a change in the network.
Further, managing multiple border routers using a fragmented team of network administrators creates problems. Often, junior network administrators do not have proper certifications and are not qualified to make network changes, putting the network at risk. Also, there is little historical data that can be captured. This makes it difficult to manage route injection over time.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems, individually and collectively.